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What do you think? Is it wrong to pierce a baby's ears?

Earlier this morning, I came across a discussion over the argument of whether or not to pierce a baby's ears. A disgruntled reader wrote to the Dear Mary Ann column at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette voicing her opinion on the issue -- she thinks it's borderline child abuse.

And you know what? I think I have to agree with her on this one.
Because piercing a baby girl's ears not only seems mean and cruel to me
-- it also just seems so vain and unnecessary.

Here you have this perfect little angel who is sugar and spice and
everything nice -- and you want to go pierce two tiny holes through her
earlobes and cause her pain simply because you think she'll look cute in a pair of heart-shaped studs?

Yes, I know putting it that way sounds a little bit extreme, but it's a pretty accurate description.

My mother took me to get my ears pierced when I was in the fourth
grade, I believe -- and I still remember how bad it hurt when that
piercing gun went through my skin. And I also remember what a pain it
was to keep my earlobes clean and to turn the earrings every day so the
holes wouldn't close up.

If it was that bad for a fourth grader (who willingly got her ears pierced), I can't even imagine what a drag having pierced ears must be for a baby.

And that brings us to the whole problem of ear pulling. Aren't
parents afraid that their poor baby girls are going to reach up to itch
the fresh wounds on their earlobes -- only to accidentally pull out the
earring and hurt themselves further in the process? (It could happen.)
Or what if they get infected?

I know it's fun to have a little girl and dress her up and all that,
but piercing her ears before she even knows how to stand up just seems
so ridiculous to me, in addition to being pretty inhumane.

Heck, it's bad enough when we have to take our babies to the doctor
to get a shot, and that's necessary for their health. Why on earth would
ANY parent subject their little one to having needles stuck in her for
the sake of vanity?

I think it is wrong, yes. Why? Because you are doing it without the informed consent of the individual.

Now, I've had 11 piercings, some done multiples times because the hole closed up for one reason or another. And I had my ears pierced as a child (and multiple times since because my ears have a habit of closing if the jewelry is out for an extended period). So I am not against piercings in any way, shape or form... but I do believe it is the persons choice to make, and doing it to a baby, toddler, child is wrong IMO.

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